Chapter 312. The Fallen Water Gate City
"Ugly things, tainting Our mood." Inside her mansion, Priscilla's voice was ice.
Even to her, things like the Sin Archbishops were far too filthy and nauseating—especially Sirius's emotional manipulation and damage sharing.
"Linking yourself to the fool I have set My sights on... he is My property. To dare reach out your hand to steal—I sentence you to death, Sirius!"
On her kill list, another name was added with cold finality.
At the Karsten estate, Crusch covered her face, unable to look anyone in the eye.
She whispered to herself, "Unbearable to watch." In that subjugation battle against the Archbishop of Wrath, her post-amnesia self had been clumsy, her combat reactions far too slow, leaving far too many openings.
If not for her weakness, Sir Hachiman could have at least avoided one of those scars from the burning chains.
"As I thought... amnesia is not a wise course. Even if it makes it easier to draw closer to Sir Hachiman, if it means I become a burden to him, I will not allow it to happen!"
To protect her Sir Hachiman, Crusch was resolute.
Whether for his sake, her own, or for Ferris and everyone supporting her current self, she absolutely could not lose her memory. She felt a deep, piercing regret for the weakness shown by her amnesiac self.
"...This...!!" On the road to the Royal Capital, Rem's demon horn manifested, her eyes turning blood-red. She gritted her teeth, staring hatefully at the talkative man-child fighting Reinhard in the dust.
"To dare harm Rem's Hachiman, to violate Rem's Hachiman, to place yourself above Hachiman... Regulus Corneas... Rem will make sure you die a very painful death!!"
Compared even to Sirius, the one she hated most was Regulus.
He was the culprit who brought Hachiman to the brink of death, and he even tried to snatch Emilia away as his wife.
"If Lady Emilia chose to give up on Hachiman and leave him of her own accord, Rem would of course be happy—but only if it were Lady Emilia's own will."
"Lady Emilia loves Hachiman deeply; she wants to live as Hachiman's wife, so she belongs to Hachiman. Yet, Regulus wants to steal Lady Emilia, to steal the person Hachiman treasures. He is robbing Hachiman of his things; he is trying to bring shame upon Hachiman!"
"Therefore—Rem absolutely does not allow it. Rem absolutely will not forgive!"
To her, the most malicious one was this man-child Archbishop!
"The one Rem wants to kill most is you, Regulus Corneas!!" Rem's love for Hikigaya Hachiman had reached a level of selflessness so profound that she felt no joy at the prospect of a romantic rival being removed; instead, she loathed the scene entirely. Ram was shaken... she gripped her sister's hand tightly, feeling immensely proud of her gentle sister.
"So close, just a little more..." In the convenience store, Hikigaya Hachiman watched the video with lingering fear, unable to stop himself from letting out a sigh of relief.
He didn't care about what happened to himself, but the fact that Emilia was nearly taken by Regulus had made him extremely nervous.
It wasn't because he loved her or feared being "cuckolded," but because the person Emilia loved was not Regulus.
Everyone should have the right to pursue their own love; if Emilia were abducted, she would lose the future and dreams of her own heart. Hachiman would never allow such a cruel thing to happen. Fortunately, there was Reinhard.
Hachiman scanned the convenience store.
Many people were sighing and groaning, turned pessimistic by Sirius's disgusting Authority.
But Hachiman, usually the most pessimistic person, had now become the most optimistic in the shop.
The reason was simple: he deeply trusted Priscilla's "Strong Luck."
Priscilla was an arrogant jerk who trampled on the dignity of others, but no matter how bad she was, her character was a thousand times better than the Sin Archbishops.
Once she learned that the Archbishops had appeared in Pristella and ruined her good mood, Priscilla would surely be willing to help. Her luck would inevitably lead her to find a way to counter Sirius by chance; Hachiman believed this firmly.
"When they are rivals, people like Anastasia and Priscilla are such headaches because of how powerful they are. But when you stand on the same side, you realize just how reliable they can be!"
Hachiman's deep faith in their reliability was, however, temporarily eclipsed in the next second by profound shock and a heavy sigh.
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「"—Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Lust—Capella Emerada Lugnica."」
「Upon waking in his hospital bed, Hikigaya Hachiman learned this name from the people who rushed to see him. It was the third Sin Archbishop to appear in Pristella.」
「Through Emilia's explanation, he grasped the aftermath of his near-death experience.」
「Julius, who had been with Reinhard, had arrived shortly after. Seeing Hachiman collapsed and dying, he immediately helped carry him out and assisted in rescuing the citizens under the clock tower and the Lusbel siblings.」
「Once away from Reinhard's presence, Beatrice was finally able to use mana. Crying all the while, she used healing magic to sustain Hachiman's life, pulling him back from the gates of hell. She and Emilia then worked together to treat the other injured and dying citizens.」
「Because Emilia's proficiency in healing magic was far below Beatrice's, many of the dying could only be saved by Beatrice. Consequently, Emilia was merely exhausted and only needed rest, but Beatrice had overused her mana and fallen into a deep slumber.」
「Emilia gave one of the magic crystals intended for waking Puck to Beatrice. Thus, Beatrice was in no danger; she was currently absorbing mana from the crystal while she slept and would wake up automatically once she was finished. It wouldn't take long.」
「Meanwhile, Reinhard and Regulus were at a stalemate. They had been fighting intensely ever since, destroying that entire area beyond recognition. There was no sign of either side losing, and because both were so powerful, no one else could intervene; they could only observe from a distance.」
「In other words, Regulus was being pinned down by Reinhard; his presence did not need to be accounted for.」
「During this time, Anastasia had been organizing her forces, preparing to find and confront Sirius.」
「But before her preparations were complete, the four floodgates of Pristella were suddenly seized by a surprise attack from Witch Cultists, and the City Hall, which housed the Broadcasting Meteor, was also taken by the Cult.」
「After that, the terrified people of the entire city heard a broadcast.」
「A broadcast from the third Sin Archbishop—Capella, representing Lust.」
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